CHENNAI: A home alone 79-year-old woman was killed following a verbal duel with her neighbour at her residence in Nolambur on Sunday. Police have arrested the senior citizen accused.

The deceased woman was identified as Mary had been residing at the house in Periya Nolambur area for the last three years. On Sunday evening, Mary's son, who came to visit her at her house, found her lying unconscious with blood injuries, and she was declared dead at the hospital. Nolambur police recovered her body and sent it for a post-mortem.

Based on a complaint by the son, Nolambur police registered a case. Probe revealed that a neighbour, Ezhumalai (70), who lives in the same street, used to frequently visit Mary's house, and the two of them used to argue often over money-related disputes. After this, a police team secured Ezhumalai for investigations on Monday.

On Sunday too, Ezhumalai had visited her house, and after a heated argument, he severely assaulted Mary and pushed her against the floor, which led to her head hitting the wall and falling unconscious. Investigations also revealed that Ezhumalai grabbed the imitation gold chain that the woman was wearing. He told the investigators that he had lent the chain to her earlier. Further investigations are under way.